The present invention relates to a component feeder. The present invention relates to, for example, a component feeder including a tape feeding device which sequentially feeds a component housing tape constituted of a carrier tape on which component housing parts for housing electronic components are formed by being arranged at predetermined spaces, and a cover tape provided to cover the component housing parts formed on the carrier tape for preventing the components from jumping out of the component housing parts, in the state in which the component housing tape is wound on a housing tape reel, and intermittently feeds the component housing tape to a component extracting position, and an electronic component exposing device which exposes electronic components in the component housing parts to allow the electronic components to be taken out.
By using FIGS. 1 to 3, a component feeder as a comparative example of the present invention will be shown. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the component feeder as the comparative example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view explaining an electronic component exposing device as the comparative example of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a component housing tape structure as the comparative example of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a component housing tape 1 wound on a housing tape reel 2 is conveyed in the directions of arrow A and arrow B by a feeding device 3 while being supported by a guide not illustrated. An electronic component exposing device 7 which is provided between the housing tape reel 2 and the feeding device 3 exposes electronic components by removing a cover tape 6 from a carrier tape which holds the electronic components in component housing parts. The electronic components which are exposed are held by a tip end portion of a component sucking and mounting device 9 by the component sucking and mounting device 9 vertically moving as arrow D. A device which allows the component sucking and mounting device 9 to hold an electronic component at the tip end portion may be vacuum pressure, a chuck mechanism and the like. The component sucking and mounting device 9 is a component extracting device which is provided at an electronic component mounting device which mounts an electronic component fed by the component feeder onto a substrate. The cover tape 6 which is removed is conveyed in the direction of arrow C by a cover tape feeding device 8 and is housed in a storage room or the like not illustrated. The cover tape feeding device 8 is formed into a reel shape such as a housing tape reel, for example, so that the reel may be rotated by a drive source to be wound up on the cover tape. The carrier tape from which the cover tape 6 is removed is conveyed to a cutter part 4 as arrow B and is cut by the operation of the cutter part (see, for example, JP-A-04-22196). In the component feeder of FIG. 1, conveyance of the component housing tape 1 is performed by balance of the conveying force by the feeding device 3 and the conveyance resisting force of the housing tape reel 2, the electronic component exposing device 7, the cover tape feeding device 8, the cutter part 4 and the like. Therefore, by setting the conveying force or the conveyance resisting force in the predetermined range, conveyance precision of the component housing tape 1 is kept.
By using FIG. 2, the electronic component exposing device will be described. FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the electronic component exposing device 7. The component housing tape 1 is constituted of a carrier tape 10 and the cover tape 6. Further, the electronic component exposing device 7 is constituted of a cover tape removing part 12 which removes the cover tape 6 from the carrier tape 10, and a component extracting hole 11 for extracting an electronic component. The cover tape 6 is wound on so as to be along the shape of the cover tape removing part 12, so as to be moved to be removed from the carrier tape 10 when the carrier tape 10 moves.
By using FIG. 3, the component housing tape will be described. The component housing tape 1 is constituted of the carrier tape 10 and the cover tape 6. The carrier tape 10 is constituted of component housing parts 13 which house electronic components (not illustrated) and feeding holes which causes the conveying force for moving the component housing tape 1 to act on the carrier tape 10. The cover tape 6 is bonded to the carrier tape 10 at both sides of the component housing parts 13 in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, so that the electronic components sealed in the component housing part 13 do not jump out of the carrier tape 10.
In the component feeder of the comparative example of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the component housing tape 1 has to be supplied when the component housing tape 1 of the housing tape reel 2 has run out. In order to supply the component housing tape 1, the vacant housing tape reel is removed, and replaced with a new housing tape reel 2, and the cover tape 6 removed from the carrier tape 10 has to be removed. The operation of removing the cover tape 6 has the problem of requiring much expense in time and effort. Further, the cover tape feeding device 8 for generating a removing force for removing the cover tape 6 is required, and therefore, there is the problem of increasing the size of the component feeder and complicating the component feeder.
As the means for solving these problems, JP-A-04-22196 provides the means which can make recovery of the cover tape 6 by the cover tape feeding device 8 unnecessary by providing removing means, which partially removes the cover tape 6 fitted to the surface of the component housing tape 1 from the central portion thereof to the directions of both sides, between the housing tape reel 2 and the feeding means 3. U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,452 provides the means for dividing the cover tape 6 by cutting the central portion of the cover tape 6, and provides the means which turns the divided cover tape 6. By providing the means which cuts and divides the cover tape 6, and the means which turns the divided cover tape 6, the electronic component can be exposed without removing the cover tape 6 from the carrier tape 10.